This invention relates to apparatus and methods for providing access to content. In particular, this invention relates to apparatus and methods for providing access to content via messaging services, such as email, voicemail, instant messaging, text messaging, or other similar messaging services.
In recent years, communications and computer equipment such as computers, personal digital assistants, cellular telephones, facsimile machines, copiers and printers (collectively referred to herein as computer devices) have become increasingly affordable and abundant. As computer devices have become more prevalent, technologies for connecting computer devices to one another have also become more pervasive. For example, it is common today for home and office computers to be connected together in networks with other computers, printers, data storage devices, Internet web servers, and other computer devices.
The trend toward increasingly interconnected networks of computer devices is expected to increase in size and scope. For example, more businesses and households are implementing wired and wireless computer networks for connecting computer devices. The increasing scope of computer networking technology offers numerous advantages to users. For example, users may easily communicate with one another and share computer resources, such as Internet access, data storage devices and printers. Indeed, one significant advantage of a computer network is that networked computer devices may easily exchange data files and computer applications.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a previously known networked computer system is described. In particular, exemplary networked computer system 10 includes client device 12 coupled via network 14 to server 16. Client device 12 may be a desktop computer or other similar computer device, network 14 may be a local area network, wide area network, the Internet, or other similar network, and server 16 may be computer server, such as a print server or other similar computer server, coupled to printer 18.
Server 16 may include web server 24 and computer memory 26, which may be used to store data files 28 and application programs 30. Data files 28 may include, for example, print jobs or other similar files. Application programs 30 may include, for example, printer drivers for printer 18, image processing tools, print job management programs, workflow processing programs, or other similar programs. Web server 24 may host web pages 32 that may be used by client device 12 to download data files 28 and application programs 30 from server 16. For example, web server 24 may host a first web page 32a that provides access to data files 28, and second web page 32b that provides access to application programs 30. Thus, using web browser 20 on client device 12, a user may download data files 28 and applications 30 for storage in memory 22.
To accomplish this task, the user of client device 12 must provide web browser 20 with the web address (e.g., the uniform resource locator (“URL”)) for web pages 32a and 32b. If the user knows the URL information in advance, then the process of browsing web pages 32a and 32b and downloading the desired files and applications is quite simple. If the user does not know the URL information, however, the process of obtaining copies of data files 28 and applications 30 may be more complicated and time-consuming. For example, the user may attempt to identify the URL information by browsing the network, contacting a system administrator, searching through system help files, or asking a colleague. None of these techniques, however, may be expedient, and the user may waste a considerable amount of time attempting to locate the desired web addresses.
Further, one or more of applications 30 may require additional identifying information regarding computer devices coupled to network 14. For example, an application 30a may be a print job management program used to monitor and control print jobs that have been submitted to server 16. If the user wants to use application 30a to monitor print jobs submitted to server 16 for printing on printer 18, the user may be required to provide the network addresses (e.g., the Internet protocol (“IP”) addresses) of server 16 and printer 18 during the process of installing application 30a on computer device 12. If the user knows the IP addresses of server 16 and printer 18 in advance, then the process of installing application 30a is quite easy. If the user does not know the IP addresses, however, the installation process may be more complicated and time-consuming.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide methods and apparatus that allow a user of a client device to download content from a network server without requiring that the user know network address information of hardware and/or software devices that provide access to the content.
It additionally would be desirable to provide methods and apparatus that allow a user of a client device to install application programs that have been downloaded from a network server for use with computer devices coupled to a computer network, without requiring that the user know address information of the computer devices.